You think you've had a long day. You dragged yourself out of bed early to arrive in time to prepare those documents for your boss' breakfast meeting. The only sunlight you saw was during the five-minute round trip to Pret at lunch, before you stuffed down a cheese and pickle baguette while battling emails. And you didn't make it home in time for Corrie for the third day in a row because your desk was more invoices than table. And then the train was delayed … again.But no matter how stressful your office job may feel, it will likely pale in comparison to that of an overworked chef. A busy line cook will work long, late-night shifts over a steaming stove in a confined space, navigating knives, hot plates, and the endless demands of a frazzled front-of-house team.Unsurprisingly, such intense working conditions will take their toll. A new survey, carried out by trade union Unite and sent to 265 union members in London, has found that chefs' long working hours are impacting their physical and mental health.According to Unite, which published the results last week, 44 percent of chefs report working between 48 and 60 hours each week, with 14 percent working in excess of 60 hours each week. Half of kitchen workers revealed that they are regularly expected to stay after their shift had officially ended. And when asked whether they believe that their work hours impacted their health, 69 percent answered yes.Read more on MUNCHIES.
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